In 1827, Constable began work on the project that would occupy his attention until his death seven years later: the publication of a series of prints based on his paintings that would stand as a summary of his achievements. The painter collaborated closely with the engraver David Lucas to create prints that would illustrate Constable's didactic intention—to illustrate the "chiaroscuro of nature." The medium of mezzotint, in which the design is developed from dark to light using a wide range of velvety tones, was eminently suited to the project.
Credit: Harris Brisbane Dick Fund, 1940
1830
Mezzotint; proof before published state
14.3 x 18.3cm
40.9.7
Image and text © Metropolitan Museum of Art, 2019
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The Metropolitan Museum of Art
Permanent collection